"This is something left behind by the Old Sword Maestro. Only those who have comprehended Sword Quintessence are qualified to come into contact with it, break the seal, and pull me out. However, I'm not too sure how to do so … "
The sword replied awkwardly.
After the Old Sword Maestro passed away and sealed it here, he had been in a deep slumber ever since. All he knew was that he had to comprehend Sword Quintessence and comprehend the meaning of the 'Sword' character in order to find his successor if he wanted to leave the stone pedestal.
"You're not too sure?"
Zhang Xuan shook his head. "I'll give it a try."
The sword was at least a Saint high-tier artifact, and it would be of great help to him. Naturally, he wouldn't turn down an opportunity to obtain it.
Zhang Xuan quickly walked up to the sword and grabbed it tightly.
The sword was nailed to the stone pedestal, refusing to budge in the slightest.
Frowning, Zhang Xuan lowered his head to take a closer look.
"It's actually a celestial artifact? No wonder …"
With his strength, he would be able to uproot even a mountain easily, but he was unable to do anything to an ordinary stone pedestal. It turned out that there was not only a unique seal around the sword but also a celestial artifact. Without a unique method, it would be impossible to open it.
"Since the Old Sword Maestro has to comprehend Sword Quintessence in order to obtain the heritage, there should be a similar requirement for me to pull the sword out as well …"
Zhang Xuan pondered for a moment before closing his eyes. The Sword Quintessence that he had just comprehended swiftly formed Sword Quintessence that slowly flowed through his body.
Hong long!
As if something had been activated, a unique energy gushed out from the stone pedestal. Following which, a sharp surge of sword qi burst forth and shrouded the area.
As if a seal had been placed on the stone pedestal, Zhang Xuan felt his Spiritual Perception being severed by the sword qi, preventing him from seeing what was happening outside. Similarly, those outside were unable to see what was happening to him either.
Zhang Xuan frowned. Just as he was about to let go of the sword pedestal, a burst of sword qi suddenly materialized before him, forming the shape of an old man.
The old man had a thin and frail appearance, but his entire body was reminiscent of a sharp sword. It felt as if he would pierce through the heavens at any moment.
"The Old Sword Maestro?"
Zhang Xuan raised his guard.
Even though the old man was a condensation of sword qi, he harnessed the will of the old man when he was alive. Even with Zhang Xuan's current strength, he would not be able to stand against the old man.
"I am Jian Zhen, known as Old Man Jian! To be able to activate the will that I left behind, it seems like you have comprehended Sword Quintessence and are qualified to receive my heritage … "
With his hands behind his back, Sword Will flowed between the eyes of the old man, seemingly capable of cutting through everything.
"Kneel down and acknowledge me as your teacher. I will teach you the Three Swords of Lingxu and the method to break the seal on the stone platform!"
"Apprenticeship?" Zhang Xuan frowned.
"Since you've received my legacy and my favor, you naturally have to acknowledge me as your teacher!"
The Old Sword Maestro's voice carried an indisputable tone. "My Three Swords of Lingxu, Splitting the Sea, Boundless Ocean, and Soaring the Heavens, are all earth-shattering battle techniques. Countless experts of the Empire Alliance have fought over them, but none of them have been able to obtain them! If he wasn't severely injured here, how could he casually pass it on to an outsider?! "
Most experts who wished to leave behind their heritage would first have to test the character and character of their disciples. By the time the Old Sword Maestro arrived, he was already unable to hold on any longer, so he was unable to set up any more barriers. All he could do was leave behind the words and the stone platform to seal the sword within.
However, although he couldn't test his descendants, if they wanted to learn his techniques, they had to take him as their master.
Without a master and disciple relationship, how could they possibly pass down their heritage?
"You spent so much effort to decipher my words and comprehend Sword Quintessence at such a young age. I believe that you must have been interested in my heritage for a very long time, right? After you acknowledge me as your teacher, not only will I impart the Three Swords of Lingxu to you, I'll also impart my lifelong understanding of swordsmanship to you. As long as you study diligently, it won't be a problem for you to become a top-notch swordsman in the Empire Alliance within three hundred years! "
The Old Sword Maestro said proudly.
He had absolute confidence in his own swordsmanship.
The other party had gone through so much trouble to come here and study his' Sword 'character, so naturally, he wanted to inherit his heritage.
Since that was the case, the Old Sword Maestro's teacher had to possess absolute authority and standing.
He had to put on airs.
"Becoming a top-notch swordsman in the Empire Alliance within three hundred years? That's too long, I'm afraid that I won't be able to wait that long! "
With a troubled expression, Zhang Xuan shook his head.
He had to become a Nine Stars master teacher before thirty in order to prevent the Innate Fetal Poison from acting up.
On top of that, he had to reach the level of an 8-star pinnacle master teacher or even higher before the fourth month of the next year to save Lozosy from her failed 'marriage'.
Three hundred years was still too slow for him to reach the level of a top-notch swordsman in the Empire Alliance.
"You can't wait? What do you mean? "
The Old Sword Maestro narrowed his eyes, and a burst of sword qi burst forth from him, causing the air to tremble. "Do you feel that my swordsmanship is too profound for you to comprehend? That's not right! The fact that you were able to comprehend the meaning behind my 'Sword' character means that your intelligence isn't weak. While the Three Swords of Lingxu might be complicated, as long as you are serious about it, there's still a thirty percent chance of mastering it. Of course, the shorter the time you take to comprehend my words, the higher your intelligence will be, and the higher your chances of mastering it will be! "
The reason why he had left behind those words was simple — he wanted to test one's intelligence.
Without sufficient intelligence, one would be unable to succeed even if they were given a secret manual.
As such, the shorter one took to comprehend the meaning behind the words, the higher one's intelligence would be.
"Judging from your young age, it shouldn't have taken too long for you to comprehend my 'Sword' character, right?" The Old Sword Maestro said. "If you take less than ten years to master the Three Swords of Lingxu, your chances of mastering it will be at least sixty percent. Can you tell me how long it took you to comprehend it?"
"This …"
Zhang Xuan scratched his head as he tried to recall. "It should be around … ten seconds!"
He had only taken a glance at the words on the wall, and he had already recorded everyone's comments. Counting the time, it should be around ten seconds …
However, it was simply too shocking to say it out loud. Thus, he added ten times more words to the sentence.
"Ten … seconds?"
The Old Sword Maestro was taken aback. The Sword Intent in the air trembled violently, and it seemed as if it would collapse at any moment. "You are saying that you were able to see through the meaning behind my words in just ten seconds?"
"Indeed. Even though it was only a single word, it harnessed 107 different swordsmanship and 107 different Sword Intents. If I'm not mistaken, it should be the heritage of a sword formation! It would make it easier for you to fuse so many Sword Intents together. "
Zhang Xuan chuckled. "That's not too hard to fathom!"
"You … were able to see through my words in just ten seconds?"
The Old Sword Maestro couldn't believe what he was hearing.
A moment later, a thought suddenly surfaced in his mind, and a hint of displeasure surfaced on his face. "To think that someone as young as you would be able to see through the meaning behind my words … Since you said that you were able to see through the meaning behind my words, allow me to test you! If you can still see through my words, I'll believe you! "
The swordsmanship and Sword Intent that he had left behind were extremely obscure. Even swordsmen of the same level as him would be bewildered by it the first time they came into contact with it. Yet, the young man before him said that he was able to see through it in just ten seconds. Most likely, he was just trying to pull a fast one on his own.
"Test me? Very well! "Zhang Xuan nodded.
"I'll execute a sword art now. Take a look at how many Sword Intents and Sword Intents it contains!"
The Old Sword Maestro harrumphed coldly. Even though he did not see the Old Sword Maestro making any move at all, Zhang Xuan suddenly felt a surge of killing intent gushing toward him.
Raising his head to look at the Old Sword Maestro's eyes, Zhang Xuan immediately saw a sea of sword qi. It was as if he had entered a brand new world. Flowing water, white clouds, and dogs, there were swords everywhere.
"Can you tell how many Sword Intents and Sword Intents my previous move contains?"
After which, the Old Sword Maestro turned to look at Zhang Xuan once more.
"This …"
Zhang Xuan shook his head. "I can't tell at all!"
"To be unable to see through such obvious Sword Intents, aren't you just trying to pull a fast one on yourself?" the Old Sword Maestro asked in displeasure.
The Sword Intents that Zhang Xuan had executed earlier were much simpler than the words he had left behind. Yet, the other party said that he was able to see through them in just ten seconds.
"I can't tell how many Sword Intents and Sword Intents it contains, but I can see seventeen flaws in it!"
Zhang Xuan replied with a faint smile.
The reason why he was able to comprehend the 'Sword' character was due to the annotations of his predecessors. If he were to comprehend it himself, it would take at least several years for him to do so. As such, given how fast the Old Sword Maestro's Sword Intents had flickered, it was impossible for him to see through them with just a single glance.
But … why should he count them?
It would be fine as long as he knew the flaws.
"Seventeen flaws? You are spouting nonsense! "
The Old Sword Maestro's face darkened.
"The first flaw is that while the Sword Intents you displayed earlier were powerful, they carried a hint of impure intent. If I'm not mistaken, it's an ultimate move meant for trapping others. It's extremely difficult to kill them with it! In other words, it's a powerful move, but it's lacking in strength!
"The second flaw is that the Sword Intents that attack one's Primordial Spirit are imbued within the move. While it's true that the Sword Intents can increase the prowess of one's Primordial Spirit significantly, executing the Sword Intents is extremely demanding on one's soul and state of mind.
"The third flaw …
"The fourth flaw …"
…
"The seventeenth flaw is that the Sword Intents are powerful yet scattered. Even though it's clear that the Sword Intents are powerful enough to kill, there are more than a dozen variations to it.
Zhang Xuan shook his head as he looked at the Old Sword Maestro impassively. "May I know if what I have said is correct?"
"Y-you …"
When the other party had first started speaking, he had thought nothing of it. However, the more the other party spoke, the paler his face became. By the time he reached the final line, his entire body was already trembling uncontrollably, rendering him completely speechless.
As a swordsman, he would at least be able to discern the flaws in his swordsmanship … Yet, the other party was able to uncover all of them with just a single glance, and he was even able to describe them in greater detail than him.
How in the world did he do it?
"With such perceptive and perceptive prowess, it won't take long for him to master the Three Swords of Lingxu …"
After recovering from his shock, the Old Sword Maestro's eyes lit up in excitement. Just as he was about to ask the young man to acknowledge him as his teacher and impart his swordsmanship to him, he suddenly heard the young man before him sighing deeply.
"To think that even a casual swordsmanship like yours would have so many flaws. The Three Swords of Lingxu must be undeserving of its reputation as well … Forget it, you should keep your swordsmanship to yourself. I won't be learning it!"
"Hmm?"
The Old Sword Maestro was stunned.
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